110G Loose Leaf Tea CUP CHARACTERISTICS: All the traditions of Irish tea and then some! Creamy caramel highlights dot a wickedly full-bodied tea. Milk accentuates the golden cup. Ingredients: Black tea, Natural flavors. INGREDIENTS FROM: India / Sri Lanka / Kenya REGION(S): Assam / Nuwara Eliya + Dimbula + Uva / Nandi Highlands GROWING ALTITUDES: 500 - 6500 feet above sea level GRADE(S): OP (Orange Pekoe) MANUFACTURE TYPE(S): CTC (Cut, Torn and Curled) and Orthodox (Traditional leafy) ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL: High CAFFEINE LEVEL: Medium INFUSION: Bright and coppery INFORMATION:Here's to Ireland, the country that can lay claim to the honor of having the most tea drinkers per capita in the entire world! The average Irishman, when not hoisting a Guinness, imbibes an average of 6 cups a day. Even with the country's relatively small population of 3.9 million, that's almost 24 million cups a day!Tea and Ireland go way back. The drink was first introduced to the country in 1835 by British traders when Ireland was still part of the British Empire. Maintaining a secure supply was never a problem as Ireland relied on British importers for a steady flow of the drink - that is until WWII. During the war, Britain was forced to ration foodstuffs of all kinds, tea included, throughout the Empire. The problem for Irish tea-drinkers arose when part way through the war, much to the consternation of the British government, Ireland declared itself neutral in the global conflict. The British retaliated for what they saw as an act of subversion by cutting their tea ration down to almost nothing. Undaunted, the enterprising Irish government set up its own tea importing company, Tea Importers (Eire) Ltd., and tea drinkers throughout the Emerald Isle rejoiced!In honor of the tea drinking spirit of the hardy Irish, we've developed this good strong blend. This blend, like most tea consumed in Ireland these days is made from East African and Ceylon varieties with a special addition - a good strong Assam. The addition of the Assam adds a depth to the tea that is beautifully offset by the addition of cream, another Irish favorite. This is one tea that'll have you standing up singing Danny Boy in no time! Ideal Brewing Temperature: 100ºC/212ºF HOT BREWING METHOD:Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 7-9oz / 200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea).
